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Konrad

Hello,

After reading Nathan's excellent book on long range hunting rifles, I have been wondering whether we need to think about which metals our actions are made from, as well as barrels?

The difference between a CM and SS barrels in resisting corrosion can become stark when living in a wet or humid environment ( I'm in Wales, it's wet here most of the time!). Traditionally SS barrels do better at staving off the rust, although I understand that a good cleaning regime equals things out a little.

The reason why all this is on my mind is because I've been looking at two actions recently, one by Defiance Machine and the other by Pierce Engineering. By all accounts both actions are excellent however the Defiance is 416SS whereas the Pierce is 4150 CM, heat treated to 37RC.

My question is, which action would best serve me given the wet environment I live?
Are the same points of concern regarding CM & SS barrels of relevance when choosing an action? Or does the fact that barrels undergo huge temperature changes affect the properties of the steel more than it would with an action?
Lastly, would it be more prudent to 'coat' a CM action in something like Ceracote or similar?

Many thanks in advance.
Konrad